Falling Down

Summary

“I’m just standing up for my rights as a consumer.”

In 1993, Warner Bros released one of the least conventional films to come out of the Hollywood system in that era – Falling Down. Directed by Joel Schumacher, Falling Down is both a dark comedy about suburban rage and a very strange psychological thriller that begs the audience to empathize with someone as they completely lose control. Critics and audiences were divided in their response to the film, but for most, Falling Down was an unforgettable cinematic experience. The picture features Michael Douglas in one of his greatest roles, and the film has developed a cult following over the last three decades. Falling Down is a film that I have loved, warts and all, since I first saw it as a teenager. While the film is not without some minor issues, which I will discuss after my synopsis, it remains a truly original picture that no one has even attempted to replicate since. I was elated to see that Arrow Video was working with Warner to bring the film to 4K. I preordered the film as soon as it was announced, and I am happy to say that the results of their work are every bit as incredible as their recent work with Warner on Under Siege. The collaboration between these two labels has been fantastic for those of us who grew up in the Nineties. 

In Los Angeles, during a blistering heat wave, a man (Michael Douglas) with a short cropped haircut wearing glasses, a tie, and a pencil protector in his dress shirt sits in traffic in his car. His license plate says D-FENS. His car’s air conditioning can not keep up with the heat and traffic is at a standstill. Looking around his surroundings, and feeling a sense of desperation and deep seated anger at the society around him, D-FENS simply leaves his car. He takes his briefcase and walks away leaving his car stuck in the traffic. When asked what he is doing by an onlooker, D-FENS replies “I’m going home.” He begins a walk across the city carrying his briefcase. Detective Prendergast (Robert Duval) from downtown robbery walks up to the abandoned car and helps a traffic cop and a citizen push the vehicle out of the way. He does not realize that he will be crossing paths several times with D-FENS over the course of his last day on the police force. D-FENS calls his home from a payphone, but fails to reach his family. He needs change for the payphone and walks into a small convenience store. He has an altercation with a Korean shop owner while attempting to get change for the phone which ends with D-FENS wielding the shopowner’s bat. After taking out some rage in his store regarding unfair pricing, D-FENS leaves the store and goes on an odyssey across Los Angeles where he deals with gang members, gun nuts, fast food employees, drive-by shootings, overpriveliged golfers, road construction, and other obstacles and frustrations while making his way across the city to his estranged wife Beth (Barbara Hershey) and daughter Adele. 

In a world of sanitized and paint-by-numbers entertainment, Falling Down is a true original. Written by actor Ebbe Roe Smith, the film is a darkly comedic look at the angers and anxieties felt in polite society by consumers. It rails against everything from crime to price gouging – from false advertising to road work and urban sprawl. The film takes dead aim at everything that sucks about Los Angeles and it also manages to take on everything that sucks about city life in general. While the film is very much about Los Angeles specifically, the anger that the picture captures is universal. One of the reasons that the picture is so different from other films that we have seen before, is that the script begs the audience to empathize with a person who has basically snapped. The circumstances that surround how D-FENS acquires a bat, and then a gun, and then a number of guns are all situations in which the audience can not help but empathize with him. Who does not get pissed off when they go to a convenience store and the prices for a soda have gone up another thirty cents universally as if overnight? Who doesn’t find themselves mad that the picture of the fast food they order looks so appealing and the actual food looks so sad? The diatribes that D-FENS delivers are completely hilarious and completely relatable. The trick that Ebbe pulls of through those great monologues is he has D-FENS snap in ways that we all sort of would like to snap, but by the time we get to the final third of the film, our hero has transformed into something we would not like to recognize in ourselves. The big reveal (Spoiler alert) is that the man we have been rooting for is actually not supposed to be anywhere near his wife and child. They have divorced and she fears him. It is likely that now that he has killed a man, and he feels as if there is no going back, that he might use his gun to kill his wife and himself. This makes Falling Down an even more interesting picture. I think the script for Falling Down is pretty fantastic, although the finale of the picture is not as exciting as the fantastic scenery chewing that occurs in the first two thirds. On top of the great situational comedy in the film, I also love the way the film slowly layers in details of the lives of both D-FENS and Prendergast with details on Prendergast’s dead child; the court protection against D-FENS; the women in both their lives that have become slightly insane because of parenthood. It is very well constructed storytelling. My only quibble with the picture is that the film can not maintain the amazing pace of the first two thirds as it reaches its natural conclusion. As I have said – that is a pretty minor quibble.

Michael Douglas is phenomenal in Falling Down. He brings D-FENS to life with full commitment. The rising anger and sense of injustice comes across in every sequence, like a bottle waiting to explode. His delivery has a rhythm that suits the character and I can’t think of any actor I would rather see play the role. The wardrobe decisions make Douglas look like someone else completely and fly in the face of the stylish looks he had that made erotic thrillers popular. Michael Douglas is an actor I love watching onscreen, and this performance ranks with his finest work. Robert Duval is another actor I love watching onscreen, and he is perfectly cast as Detective Prendergast. By definition this character can not be as interesting as D-FENS, because he is meant to serve as a contrast. He is reasoned and controlled whereas D-FENS is unhinged. This means that Duval has less to work with, and that is why an actor of his stature is necessary for the role. As expected, he is great in the movie. Joel Schumacher is a director that did not receive a lot of credit for his talents, but he draws fine performances out of his cast, and the cinematography by Andrzej Bartkowiak is gorgeous. Bartkowiak was a journeyman cinematographer who worked on everything from Sidney Lumet films to Speed, and I believe that Falling Down is his most striking film. The film’s atmosphere would only be half accomplished without the compelling score by James Newton Howard which amplifies the beat of the city.

Over the years, I have revisited Falling Down several times and it is because the picture does so well at capturing how we deal with ordinary frustrations: traffic at a stalemate – can’t break change without buying something – can’t get a fair deal – can’t get the burger shown in the ad –  can’t get breakfast. The scene at Whammyburger is one of my all time favorite scenes of any picture, and I also love the golf course sequence. I can not tell you how many times my brother and I have quoted this movie over the years. While I can understand why some people can not get into the strange comedic rhythm of Falling Down, I truly love this film.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, Falling Down looks gorgeous in its UHD presentation. The liner notes state:

“Falling Down has been restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD MA 4.0 surround and 2.0 stereo audio. For the UHD edition, the film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. 

The original 35mm negatives were scanned at 4K / 16 bit resolution at Warner Brothers Motion Picture Imaging and the film was restored in 4K resolution and color graded at Duplitech. The color grading was supervised and approved by Director of Photography Andrej Bartkowiak. 

The original 4.0 and 2.0 stereo audio mixes were restored by Þorsteinn Gislason. 

All materials sourced for this resotration were made availabe by Warner Brothers. QC review was completed by Pixelogic.”

Warner and Arrow have proven once again that their partnership is one of the greatest in the world of 4K collecting. Falling Down has not ever looked this good. This is a film which seems to always be given early releases on formats with a rough DVD presentation and a passable but not exceptional Blu-ray presentation. The jump forward on this film is jaw-dropping. Fine detail is excellent with grain well resolved. The HDR brings out the very best of the film’s unique color palette from Schumacher and cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak. The picture is shot in a way that makes you feel the heat of the city. The film’s color timing feels like it stayed true to the source, and my goodness, it looks so much better now. If you are a fan of this film, you owe it to yourself to see this 4K presentation.

Audio

Arrow has given Falling Down two stereo options to choose from. The original 4.0 and 2.0 stereo audio mixes. These tracks, restored by Þorsteinn Gislason, are both well done – but the 4.0 track expands the sound mix and is definitely the way to go if you have surround sound. Immersion is much better than you would anticipate on a 4.0 track. James Newton Howard’s score sounds great. While I would have loved an Atmos track (like they recently performed for Under Siege,) fans of the picture should be pleased.

Supplements:

• Cast and Crew Commentary is from 2009 and features director Joel Schumacher, editor Paul Hirsch, screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith, journalist Shawn Hubler and actors Michael Douglas, Michael Paul Chan, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Frederic Forrest. 
• Man on the Edge – in this lengthy 2026 interview, screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith speaks about the inspirations behind the story, the numerous changes made to the script (including adding the entire golf course sequence and changing the plastic surgeon mansion sequence,) and why the picture has continued to find an audience for all these years. This is a well conducted interview that sheds a lot of light on the writing process while also pointing out how Michael Douglas and Joel Schumacher’s input helped shape the picture into what it became. He also briefly discusses how an iconic image from the film was appropriated by Donald Trump Jr., which was interesting. He seemed genuinely pleased with the final product, which speaks well of the film.
• At War with the World – in this 2026 interview, composer James Newton Howard dives into how he landed the job with only three weeks before the dub after Schumacher’s moved away from another composer, and explains the numerous thoughts that went into his compositions. 
• Going Home – a 2026 tour of filming locations with discussions of the racial tensions of that time (and now) by Gillian Wallace Horvat.
• Deconstructing D-Fens: A Conversation with Michael Douglas – this archival interview from 2009 has good thoughts on the project from Michael Douglas, but it is directed in such a frenetic distracting way that it borders on comedic now.
• Theatrical Trailers 
• Image Gallery

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5 

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Falling Down is one of the most original Hollywood produced thriller (or dark comedy) to come out of the Nineties. The film is completely fearless as it forces the audience to empathize with a man who has completely unmoored himself from society and wants to take out the rage he feels at perceived injustices that we all deal with in our own lives. The comedy is very funny and at times very dark, and the picture can not help but become slightly less fun for the viewer as D-FENS reaches the natural end of his journey. I watch Falling Down every couple years and quote it frequently, so I was overjoyed to see that Arrow was working with Warner Bros to bring this film to 4K. As expected, they have done a tremendous job of preserving Falling Down, and this release will be the definitive way of viewing the film moving forward. Arrow Has provided some excellent supplements including new interviews with the screenwriter and composer. While an Atmos track would have been appreciated, the restored 2.0 and 4.0 mixes are great. This release earns our highest recommendation. Exercise your rights as a consumer and purchase this film immediately.